Pneumatic shock-absorber.



A. MANS. PNEUMATIG SHOCK ABSORBER. 'APPLIOATION'PILED JULY 24, 1909.

Patented July 5, 1910.

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' Ammer MANS, ornIEGHEM, BELGIUM.

"PNEUMATI SHOCK-Ansonsten.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1910*,

Application filed July 242:, 1909. Serial No. 509,110.1.

To all 'whom fit-may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT Manda subject of the King of Belgium, and residing hicles and caused by the unevenness of the road.

structiondesigned to 'be used as a supple; mental means of elastic suspension of the frame of a vehicle on its axles.

V form of execution of the pneumatic device, constituting the object of the resent invention, is described in the to owing specification, withreference to the annexed drawing, in which: L i

Figure 1 is a sectional view through the longitudinal axis of the apparatus; Fig. 2 a side view of same; Fig. 3 a cross-section by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a plan view of the apparatus; Fig. 5 apartial section by the yline 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The apparatus consists of a hollow frame 6 forming an air-tight c'asing,-on the ends T-7 of which two opposite cylinders 8-8 are lixed, in which air-tight pistons may move and are pushed to the bottom of their A stroke b` springs 9 9; the rods of said pistons eingf conveniently guided in `the end-parts 1111 of casing 6. Each piston consists; of a chased piece of leather l2 pressed against a disk 13 by a bolt 1l screwed into the pistonrod 10.

The casing 6 is fixed on the frame 15 of the vehicle by means of bolts 16 passingthrough holes 17. Said pistons are caused to move by means of an oscillating thumb 18, sliding in a ball-and-socket-joint 19 which acts in spherical cavities on the endsof the piston rods. Said oscillatingthumb Aforrns one solid piece with the plivotm 20 of a lever 21, the end of whi a ball-and-s'ocket joint 22, is connected to the axle by means of a short adjust-,ablev connecting rod coupled by means of'ball; and-socket joint 24 to the part25 conveniently fixed on said axle. The ,leverarm 21 is worked byy the relative movements of axle and frame.

The objectof the invention is to produce an apparatus, of simple and efficient conaxle l yfitte with A suction-valve box 26 is provided for each of the cylinders. Thi. suction valve consists of a small ball located in chamber 28 communicating with the inside of the corresponding cylinder by means ot a duct 29.,

The working of the/ apparatus as follows: During a iiexion ot' the sus msionspring, that is to say, when the nearer to the frame, for instance unen the wheel meets .with an obstacle, the thumb 18 -inclines vtoward the right, pushing the corresponding piston into its cylinder, thus compressing the air in front of the piston and causing a vacuum behind it, 'while the other piston remains quiet. 4 In consequence of the relative vacuum created behind the moving pistn, a certain amount of air wili enter into the cylinder throughl the duct 29 after having lifted the valve 27. As' a result of the liexion of the suspension spring a reaction will take place e. the axle draws away from the frame andA the thumb 18 which follows the movements of ,said axle,

will move to the left. The air drawn in is compressed into the suction 'chamber by means of the pistons return movement, caused by the action of the antagonist spring 9 and, as the chased leather piece forms an automatic valve, this compressed air passes into the compression chamber in tront'of `the piston.` Then the reaction of j thepsnspension spring oi the vehicle causes the axle to withdraw abnormally from the frame., the thumbvl8-will incline toward the left, pushing the letthand piston into its cylinder. The movement of this piston produces the same compression and suction ef- `fects, as that ofthe piston mentioned before, so that the movement of reaction will be broken .by air-compression in thelefthandc'ylinder, as well as the movement of flexion was broken by air-compression in the cylinderto the right. (Fig. 1.-) A suc-v cession l of suctionsand compressions will takeplace in both cylinders during the usubsequent tlexions and reactionsfoftliesuspension-spring, causlng the pressure in the cyl- .inders graduallyto increase, until reachingl a certainlimit determined by the ratio bedraWS A tweenl the Volume 'of dead-space and the maximum suction-capacity. ,A It will be easily understood thatthe vol- `ume ofIdead-spacemay 'beregulated so that the. compression in the cylinder be limited at wlll. Y

, y It Win be Obvious that as the bau valve 27 is not spring pressed and as it is constantly subjected to vibration during'the running of the vehicle, it will not remain constantly Seated at any time. This ban valve 27 will.

permit of a constant leakage of air from the suction' side of the cylinder, to which itis connected, thereby always permittlng a slow return of the piston to the position shown in Fig.` l. l When one ofthe pistonshas been moved outwardly the air in the outer .end

' of theA cylinder will be compressed but as the piston returns to the suction side of the cylinder the space in the Outer part of the cylinder'gradually increases. If the compression in the outer part of the cylinder is such'that air cannot be admitted past the piston 12 vthen the return movement of the piston 12 will be retarded under the action of the springV 9 but will continue its return movement because of the constant leakage through the unseating and vibration of the ball valve 27. Itwill thus be seen that there is` not a constant increasing pressure lin the outer ends of the cylinder but only such pressure as may be admitted theretoA and -that 'such pressure is constantly maintained low because of the constant leakage through ball-'valve 2T. This insures a slow return of the piston,

-' Having'thus described my inventionl and ythe means toembody it, what I claim is:

l. l." In apneumaticshock absorber for ve. hides, the combination with a member adapted `fory lattachment to the axle, a p: ir

4of pistons arraged'to engage onopposite l. sides ofa portion-of said member and to act `-upon the same-*inf opposite directions and to "be acted upon thereby in opposite directions,

airtight cylindersfor said pistons adapted for connection. with the vehicle, springs noristons in 4one' eXtreme position 1n 'said cylin ers and in engagement with said member, and a valve for each cylinder admittingair to said cylinder on that side of the piston opposite to the side engaged by the spring and serving to resist discharge of air from said cylinders but permit constant slowleakage therefrom.

2. In a pneumatic shock absorber for vehioles,the combination with a air of airtight cylinders connected with t e frame of the vehicle, a piston for each of said `cy1in ders having packing arranged to allow air to pass from one side to the other of said pistons, springs for normally thrusting said pistons to one extreme posltion in sald cylinders, a .valve for each cylinder communieating therewith on thatl side of the iston thereof opposite to the sideen aged y its springs an constructed to free y admit air to and resist but permit discharge and. constant leakage of air from said cylinder, and an oscillating member adapted for connection with. the axle ofthe vehicle and interpistons.4 l p 3. In a pneumatic shockabsorber for vehicles, the combination of a palr of airtight cylinders connected with the frameof the posedbetween and loosely engaging said vehicles, a piston for each cylinder dividing ALBERT MANS.

Witnesses:

- J. Fnnn'rfrm JAMEDA G. FAY. 

